Tai Woffinden inspires Wolves to a comfortable home win
Wolverhampton kept their play-off hopes well and truly alive with another convincing home win last night.
Parrys International Wolves swept Peterborough aside for the second time in less than a month with a 56-34 triumph in front of a healthy crowd.
The home riders received plenty of words of wisdom throughout the night from three-time world champion and 2016 title winner Tai Woffinden.
And his knowledge and expertise will no doubt prove useful further down the line too as the crucial run-in continues.
Wolves got off to a dream start as Luke Becker and Jacob Thorssell flew away from the tapes to open with a 5-1.
Peterborough found themselves back level two races later though with successive 4-2s.
Home reserve Ryan Douglas fell in the initial staging of heat two and, despite his best efforts, partner Kyle Howarth couldn’t quite catch Aaron Summers on the run to the line.
The visitors sat on a 5-1 in the third until Nick Morris produced a smart cutback under Panthers’ skipper Hans Andersen off bend four to split their duo.
Wolves kicked on though with four advantages on the spin as they established a 10-point lead.
Douglas rode a brilliant opening lap in heat four to clamp down former Wolf Scott Nicholls to allow Sam Masters, who enjoyed a stunning 18-point maximum for Championship side Edinburgh on Sunday, around the outside to hit the front.
But as the race progressed, Wolves were denied a second 5-1 as Nicholls wound it on to come around Douglas into second place.
Skipper Schlein recovered from a poor first outing to take the chequered flag in the fifth while team-mate Nick Morris was forced to settle for third after a good tussle with fellow Aussie Rohan Tungate.
Becker and Thorssell combined for another impressive maximum in the sixth before Masters extended his winning streak in heat seven with Howarth missing out on second after exchanging places with British champion Charles Wright on several occasions.
The visitors gave Wolves the briefest of scares with a 5-1 of their own in heat eight before the hosts turned on the style to power towards victory.
They banged in five more advantages in the last seven races as top duo Thorssell and Masters completed an unbeaten night in what was another impressive all-round effort to break the 50-point barrier for the third time on the trot at home.
Wolves now head to King’s Lynn on Thursday (7.30pm) for another key away fixture.
WOLVERHAMPTON 56: Jacob Thorssell 10+2, Sam Masters 10+2, Luke Becker 10, Nick Morris 9+2, Kyle Howarth 9, Rory Schlein 7, Ryan Douglas 1.
PETERBOROUGH 34: Charles Wright 9+1, Scott Nicholls 8, Aaron Summers 6+1, Ty Proctor 4, Rohan Tungate 3, Hans Andersen 3, Nicklas Porsing 1.
